Missing Pages
by miss.SunFlower
Summary: A collection of stories that we don't see in Henry's stories. All across the Fairytale time line, with all the characters and genres. Enjoy.
1. True Names I

In other words, this is where my Fairy-tale-land plot bunnies are going from now on. And trust me, I've got plenty of those.

Enjoy!

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**True Names (Part I) **

The pair escaped the hunting party without a hitch, and by the time the sky began to lighten with approaching dawn they were well out of harms way.

Snow realized that she had no idea where they were going. Away was all that had been needed at the time. And away they were. _Now what?_

She didn't ask Red, though. The girl was crying silently beside her, and Snow felt should not be troubled with questions just then.

They hadn't gotten very far before Red had first thrown up, still sobbing from the realization that she was, in fact, a bloodthirsty werewolf. That she had killed men. That she had killed her Peter. It was more than any person should ever have to face. Snow could offer no words of comfort – her sheltered princess upbringing had not prepared her for moments like this. Nothing she could have come up with would have helped anyways.

So when the red-cloaked girl had composed herself more, she urged her back into motion._ Keep moving_, she kept telling Red, _just keep moving_.

And keep moving they did.

Now, a sort of uncomfortable silence had fallen over them in the early morning. It amazed Snow how little she was afraid. She has seen Red as a wolf, devouring a helpless young man. But she had seen her scream and cry out in anguish as she realized what she had done. She could not help her curse. She had lost so much; she did not need to lose her friendship.

"W-where are we going?" Red asked. Her voice was surprisingly calm, though her face was pale and tearstained. It was a wonder she was still sane.

Snow looked around them. The landscape was foreign to her, but then, most landscape was. The land forests thinned to the occasional field, empty save the knee-high grass. "I don't know."

"We could find a village. Settle down, where no one knows us."

"_You_ could," Snow said, a slight bitterness creeping into her usually meek voice.

Red looked surprised and a touch hurt. "You'd leave?"

This wasn't a conversation she'd wanted to have, ever. But Red was distracted, at least a little, from the horror she'd seen and been through. She wanted to keep her diverted. And true friends deserved true names.

"My name's not really Mary," she said, by way of explanation.

Red said, "I know," solemnly nodding. Snow missed her innocent, though a bit naïve smile, just as much as she missed her own. _We're too young for tragedies_, she thought. But fate didn't seem to care.

She took a breath, and couldn't help but look around her despite being very much alone. "I'm Snow. Snow White."

Red looked at her for a long moment while Snow gauged her reaction. Finally she said uncertainly, "That's a pretty name…"

Snow let out a quiet laugh, "I forget. You're- you were so sheltered, you probably never heard."

"Heard what?"

"I'm a princess. Well, I was a princess." There was no way to properly tell this story, and no way to sum it up. "I- I caused my step mother pain and she drove herself mad with want for revenge. She murdered my father, and sent a huntsman to kill me. He pitied me, told me to run. That was, oh, a month before I found you."

Red's eyes had gone wide, "so when you said someone was looking for you…"

Snow nodded, "I've heard rumors that she's claimed I'm a traitor to my kingdom, in order to gain support. She could have my father's entire guard after me. And if I were to go to a town, even one that doesn't know me now…"

"It'd only be a matter of time before word reached them."

Another nod. "Red, I'm alright with running, but if you were caught with me you'd be in danger. I don't want that."

Red gave a shaky smile, "I understand." There was a pause before she said, "I just won't stay in a town, then."

"_Red_…"

"If I found a cottage. Out in the woods like this. No one could find us."

"Red, what would we _do_?"

"I'm a good hunter, you know that," she said it before she thought and the pain glazed over her eyes again. _Too good._

Scared that she might lose her to tears and memories again, Snow broke in, "That wouldn't be enough. Red, if you want to settle in a town where you can be happy, do. _Please_."

"I would _be_ a danger there. This cloak isn't perfect, I know it isn't. What if it's magic wore off? I couldn't risk that either, Snow. I'll be fine on my own. I can support myself."

She sounded like a different person to her. More confident, more assured. More capable of overriding any of Snow's protests.

"I just want you to have happiness," Snow said softly.

Red smiled. It was a sad smile. The smile of someone who had learned all the hard lessons in life that make smiling difficult. "Then help me find this cottage, alright?"

She had no reply for that, but trudged in the snow with her friend, indeed looking for some sort of abandoned cottage with which Red could make a home. She didn't like the idea of her friend living alone… but wasn't that exactly the future she had planned for herself? Who was she to deny her of it?

"And… maybe visit?" Red added, after the momentary silence. Snow opened her mouth but was cut off, "Every once and a while. You wouldn't have to stay long. But if people want you dead… I'd like to know you're living."

Snow found herself smiling at that. She reached for Red's hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "I'll visit you, Red. Of course, I will."

The silence felt more comfortable, as the sun reached above the trees. Red was still pale, still in pain, and Snow would stay with her a while, just to make sure she was surviving. And perhaps one day, they'd no longer need to be alone. Snow had a feeling theirs was the kind of friendship that would be as strong that day as it was then.

But first, they needed to find that cottage.****

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Just some platonic fluff for you guys. I love Snow and Red's friendship. Expect more scenes soon! :D

Reviews = love. Always.


	2. True Names II

In which Snow is told the truth about her Shepherd-Prince.

Enjoy!

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**True Names (Part II) **

It was early morning when Snow White was awoken from a sleeping curse, making it hard to ride off into the sunset as the stories claimed.

Instead, Prince James – her Charming – and his newly awoken love were swept into hugs from her seven brothers, of a sort, and invited back to their home for breakfast.

And why on earth not? It was not as though they had anywhere to else to be, and frankly, Snow _had_ to be hungry.

"What happened to your life of solitude?" James asked, gently teasing, as they rode in that direction – Well, Snow rode; he walked beside her. The little men she had made home with walked well ahead, giving them privacy.

The dwarfs were kind to him, and appeared to genuinely love the raven-haired young woman. And the dwarfs weren't the only ones she'd made companions with. He had also met Red, the gentle and beautiful werewolf, and Snow's bosom friend. He owed her greatly; she had helped him in finding her on numerous occasions. Indeed, the lonely princess-turned-thief had taken a place in many hearts besides his own. _She's easy to love_.****

She smiled at him, crinkling her nose as though she was trying to be annoyed but it just wasn't working. "Loneliness lost its novelty very quickly," she said quietly.

He reached up to take her hand, squeezing it, "Well, Snow White. You need not worry. You'll never be lonely again."

"What happened?" Snow asked, after a comfortable silence. "King George-"

"- Is gone."

"And the Queen?"

"As good as."

She made a face, clearly disconcerted by the idea of her step mother still living, still in control of _something_ – still capable of returning. James hastened to reassure her. "Your story has been spread throughout the realm, my dear. You've won the hearts of those you have never met. No one would turn you over, not ever."

"But my kingdom is still hers," she argued.

"It's only a castle now. No one accepts her rule. She has guards and a small army but you have the love of your people. And mine."

Snow ventured a small smile, "Are you certain your people are _yours_? Killing your father the king might not be seen as very… _charming_."

He chuckled outwardly while a voice in his head whispered _he's not my father_. It struck him very suddenly that Snow didn't know that. She essentially knew nothing of him prior to their meeting on the road.

Lost in those thoughts, he spoke without thinking. "King George was not particularly loved by his subjects, especially in his last few years. His son, James, however, was a hope for them all. They adored him."

The past tense slipped out and it was too late to take it back. Snow looked startled, bringing her horse to a halt. "Charming?" She asked, hesitantly.

She deserved to know. He had nothing to be ashamed of, and besides she claimed to hate cold-hearted Royals as much as he had in his life as a 'prince'. "Snow," he said, seriously. "I'm not actually Prince James."

"Oh? Who are you then?" She asked, looking both uncertain and amused by this declaration.

"A shepherd."

Snow's eyebrows shot up. "And just how does a shepherd become a prince?"

James wasn't sure she believed him yet. "In a word; Rumpelstiltskin."

The name itself was enough to show that he was serious. Snow's eyes narrowed sharply. "James," she said, now there was no amusement in her voice. "What is this about?"

She sounded genuinely worried, and James quickly took her hand again to calm her. "To start, my name really is James. The imp probably saw this coming and advised King George to keep our names the same." He couldn't help the bitterness in his voice when it came to Rumpelstiltskin. He had only caused him problems.

The story came surprisingly easy from there on. How his father had sold his twin brother to save their farm and home, and that boy had grown to be the Prince James the kingdom knew and adored. James the shepherd grew to be a simple farm boy, adored by his mother, only to be sold like his brother into Prince-hood when James-the-prince was killed in combat.

Snow looked wretched as he continued on, and he felt guilty. This was a happy day. They were reunited, and nothing could part them now, and here he was spinning her stories of tragedy and loss. She'd seen too much of that. But it was the tragedies in life that gave the happiness such depth and meaning. Without them this day of finding each other, of finally being able to be together, would not be so very precious.

"So, that's why King George felt no love for you."

James nodded solemnly, "In some ways I feel for him. I was Prince James' identical twin. To see me everyday was to see the ghost of the son he'd never get back. I imagine that fed into some of his hatred for me."

"I'm- I'm sorry."

"I am thankful for one part of this life. I would have never found you without it," he said feelingly. "Tell me you're not angry I'm not who I claimed?"

She laughed, "Oh, I'm likely to be angry about that, Charming. Here, I thought I was marrying a charming and handsome prince who was likely to give me happiness and riches and a kingdom of my own. Now I learn that not only do I marry this handsome, loving prince, but he is a loyal, humble shepherd boy as well? I don't see how I will ever get over it!"

He laughed. _Snow_. How typical. There had never been reason to worry. "And we will be married," he added. "Whenever you wish."

"I wish to know something else first."

"Name it, my darling."

"Your mother," she said gently. "Did King George… did he go after her like he threatened? Did you look for her?"

"I didn't dare," James confessed. "If he hadn't already, I couldn't risk leading his men to her. All I could do was hope she found refuge somewhere, or that it was an empty threat."

Snow squeezed the hand she held. "After breakfast," she said.

"What?"

She released his hand, kicking the horse back into a trot. "After breakfast we'll look for your mother," she said over her shoulder.

"_What?_"

She turned her head, laughing, "She's no longer in danger. If we're to be wed I want her to be there, Charming."

James couldn't move for a second, completely dumbfounded. Typical Snow. Bravely charging forward. And _gods_, he loved her.

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IT'S RAINING SNOWING FLUFF. HALLELUJAH. XD I swear some of these will get angsty, or some other genre not-fluffy. Eventually.

Reviews = love. Always.


	3. Two Kinds of Deals

In which there is further explanation to Rumpel's backstory, and the origins of a rather famous hood.

Enjoy!

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**Two Kinds of Deals**

Rumpelstiltskin acquired his reputation slowly.

The reputation of The Dark One was of a creature that was fearsome, but mindless. Nothing more than a power for Lords to control and use for their own wicked ends. Rumpelstliltskin had no desire to be anyone's puppet, to be forced into anything ever again. The first ten or so men who sought him out for such purposes were killed without a second thought.

He calmed from the rage of this curse of his and the subsequent loss of his son after that. Zoso's words "All magic comes with a price" never left him, and it became something of a code, something of a purpose. When the next lord of some sort asked for his magic, he asked that he receive something in return. Reasonable enough, but men were selfish creatures, something Rumpelstiltskin had learned long ago. When the foolish Lord tried to take the dagger as a way of force, Rumpelstiltskin killed him, too.

It was easier from then on. He found the men most desperate for help, the ones who would do anything. They were always willing to agree. The price he asked was always to test their strength of will; if one was not willing to pay, then they did not deserve what they wished. He always stated the price before granting the wish, however, unwilling to trick others the way Zoso had tricked him.

His reputation grew from there. He was fearsome, but he was reliable. If you needed something done with no questions asked, and you weren't particularly picky about the morals surrounding it, he could always be found and always was willing to deal with you. No one liked him, of course, for no one could like anyone who pointed out their greed in the most subtle ways. But people were greedy, and so he continued to be called on.

Time did not affect The Dark One as it did others. Rumpelstiltskin only tracked years through the aging of others – a child that may have been traded through a deal could grow to make a deal in finding his birth parents in a space of time that felt no more than a week to him. He'd acquired an estate, a collection of the magical or practical odds and ends he'd received through dealing with greedy or desperate individuals, and continued to spin if only to try and forget the emptiness that none of this magic or status could fill.

It was a century and a half after he had become The Dark One when she called for him. A woman, no princess or lady or mother-to-be, but an older woman with eyes that spoke of tragedy and desperation. Rumpelstiltskin was instantly intrigued.

"You took your time coming," she said, her voice harsh and unyielding. However there was the fear in her eyes that could not be hidden with a sharp tone. She was frightened, as they all were, but she was also desperate.

There were two kinds of people who dealt with him, he had learned; the greedy and the desperate. He always felt the greedy were easier to deal with, easier to come up with a cruel payment, a way of making sure they understood that they could never, ever get something for nothing. The desperate were harder, purely because he had been among them once, and he could never look upon their problems without seeing some shadow of the man he once was in them.

"My, my, impatient, aren't we?" He drawled, ready to test just how badly this woman needed her deal, as well as gauging just what it was she wanted.

She glared at him, but ignored his question. "I need a spell, an enchantment, anything. I trust you can manage that."

Impatient, indeed. Impatient, cold, tense, and worried. "That depends entirely on what this spell is doing, missy." The woman tensed. "Now, now, how much help do you plan to receive when I have no notion of the problem?" He taunted, hoping anger would loosen her tongue. He wasn't going to wait around while she decided whether or not to trust him; she should have worked that out before calling on him. It was a pity; he'd almost thought her smart at first.

He didn't think it was possible for her to look any angrier with him, but she did. Without a word she bared her left arm, revealing ugly scars along her forearm. Claw marks, but larger than any natural creature. A werewolf. Rumpelstiltskin could not contain the high pitched squeak of glee that came from this discovery.

"I need a spell to keep my granddaughter from turning into this kind of monster," she stated bluntly.

He felt his eyebrows twitch incredulously, "Your granddaughter – not for your daughter – or son?" He knew enough of the curse to know it passed through from generation to generation.

"My daughter was killed by a hunting party, shortly after killing her husband. My granddaughter is all I have left and I refuse to allow her to suffer that fate."

All she had left… yes, he understood that, more than he ever wanted to. "Indeed," he said tightly.

"Well? Can you do it?" She snapped.

She was desperate and brave, a combination he wished he had been many a time. "Perhaps…" he drawled again, knowing very well that he could. Currently his thoughts were on payment. He couldn't ignore his code, not even if he did admire this woman's strength of will. That's just not what he did. Presently he absently asked, "What age is your granddaughter?"

She stiffened, "Why do you need to know?"

He sighed. Really, caution was a rare trait in the people he dealt with. He didn't quite know what to do with it. "If you want results, I'll need a few details, dearie."

"She's eight," the woman ground out. "She has another few years before the transformations begin."

"Ahhh," It took only a few seconds to make the enchantment in his mind, and with a flick of his hand he produced the sturdy red fabric. It was grander than it probably needed to be, but if the child was going to wear it her entire life, he saw no reason not to make it memorable.

"The cloak will grow with her," he added, turning it over in his hands. "When it is on her, she will experience no change. It's up to her to wear it."

The woman stared at it, looking relieved and wary simultaneously. She looked up at him, "What is it you want?"

He giggled. She was a clever woman, indeed. "Oh, your granddaughter's name would suffice," he released at last.

"Why?"

"Someday I may need the help of someone with her particular magic – when that day comes I will need to know how to call on her."

She watched him warily, "That's all?"

He nodded, understanding her concern, "That's all, dearie."

"She's called Red. Just Red."

"Red," he repeated, committing the name to memory. Smirking, he studied the cloak, "How… fitting. Very well." He tossed the fabric to Red's grandmother. "Your little Red wears that, and she will be safe."

The woman nodded, "Thank you," she said solemnly, her voice as warm as it could be for a woman hard as she was. He waved her off with an impatient hand.

"None of that, dearie." He was uncomfortable with how easy he had made this for her, and the more she thanked him the more likely he was to change his mind. She'd been desperate, but she'd also been wise, and that was a rare combination – so he let her off with nothing more than a name. A name of a child he never truly planned to use.

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So yes, I always wanted Rumpel to be the 'wizard' Granny got Red's hood from. So yes. There's that story.

Reviews = love. Always.


	4. A Beauty a Beast and a Baby

In which concerns a princess, a curse, and a name.

(To my Not Today readers... I promise you I'm writing the next chapter. Which will be the second to last.)

Enjoy!

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Snow White had been rather distressed when her husband had told her what had happened to her friend Ella and her husband. But perhaps not for the reasons one would think.

"I've sent as many knights as I can to search for Thomas." James had concluded, with a sigh. "I don't like the idea that losing him might have been the price to lock Rumpelstiltskin away. We simply can't let him out."

"We can't?" Snow had asked. He looked startled. "Charming, if letting him free will return Thomas, why can't we do it?"

"Snow, are you serious? You know what that beast has done. He tried to take Ella's baby, he did... _something_ to Thomas, not to mention that he made you forget me."

Snow sighed, exasperated, "He _made_ me do nothing, I took the potion of my own free will. You know that."

"That changes nothing, my dear. He's dangerous," he had said, stubbornly. Snow dropped it there, knowing nothing would get the notion out of his head that Rumpelstiltskin was as big a threat to their happiness as Queen Regina was or King George had been.

Snow, on the other hand, was inclined to believe near the opposite about the man… if he could be called that. When she thought about it, he was hardly… good. What he'd done in his deal with Ella proved that, along with numerous other chilling rumors that had circulated about him. But he had helped her when she had wanted to kill Regina and anyone who openly opposed her was all right in her books. The most he'd ever asked for her in return during a deal was a strand of her hair, and he _hadn't_ made her take that potion, though he seemed to thoroughly understand why she should. Anyone who understood _those_ kinds of feelings was also unable to be seen as monstrous and unfeeling in her eyes, either.

Now Snow White wasn't a fool, of course. She knew Rumpelstiltskin was powerful and she was rather sure that he was actually insane, but she preferred to think he was on their side in the end.

It was in that mindset that she finally got James to agree to talk to Rumpelstiltskin in his cell and get some answers about the threatened curse that kept her so paranoid. She'd always found him frightful to look at and it seemed confinement, even if it had only been a month or so since the business with Ella, had frayed what little humanity he had within him. For once, Snow found herself relieved that he was behind bars.

"What do you want?"

"Oh, the name of your unborn child."

James had barely opened his mouth to voice opposition before Snow said "Done." Oh, her prince Charming wasn't going to be happy later. But she had to know.

And it was a simple price, after all, a name. And the information was worth it, as upsetting as it was. The curse would happen; there was no stopping that. But her baby, if she could save her baby, her baby would save them all.

"Emma. Her name is Emma," she released to him, before James could drag them out of the cell completely. She heard him repeat the name in a reverential way, as thought committing it deep in his memory for later use.

James, of course, wasn't happy.

"Our _baby_, Snow!"

She sighed, "What is he going to do to her? What is he going to do that would be worse than this curse? He gave us_ hope_ to break it; a name is a small price for that."

Talk of the curse silenced the argument for a time. Preparations would have to be put in place, and James seemed to understand the wisdom in Snow's words. What could possibly be worse than the inevitable fate the Queen had put in place for all of them? They'd all be trapped.

Besides, if Rumpelstiltskin ever tried to hurt Emma, Snow would kill him. She didn't care what world they were in; once she had her Emma she'd protect her with her life. Her life meant nothing as long as Emma was safe.

She had a strange feeling that, while James wouldn't like that, that was exactly the sort of response Rumpelstiltskin would want to hear.

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That last line is kind of my headcanon with the whole Rumpel and Ella situation. Like I honestly think he wanted to see how hard Ella would fight to keep her baby. I mean, from all the backstory we've seen we know how he is with family. And, even though he knew it was a trick, the way she nonchalantly talked about giving up twins angered him.

Reviews = love. Always.


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